WHY MY DAUGHTER

US, 1993, 90 minutes, Colour.
Linda Grey, Antonio Sabato Jr.
Directed by Chuck Bowman.

Why My Daughter is a typical movie of the week focusing on a social problem. The initial focus is on a divorce situation, the effect on the teenage daughter of the house, her feeling unloved, being dumped by a boyfriend, attracted to a conman at a dance - which leads to her leaving home, living with him, going as a striptease dancer to please him and eventually becoming a prostitute, suffering violence, wanting to take him to court and yet being persuaded by him to retract. Eventually she is mysteriously killed. The rest of the film is the campaign by her parents, especially her mother with the help of another girl, to bring the conman to justice.

The film is somewhat preaching in its style, starting with the voice-over of the mother and finishing with the mother talking to the other prostitute's mother and persuading her to show some support and love.

The film is based on a true story, allegedly with the cooperation of the family involved. It is not particularly subtle - but is geared to the popular audience to highlight problems of communications within families. Television soap opera star Linda Gray is the mother.

1.The impact of this kind of telemovie? For the average audience after a day's work, watching television? An alerting to social issues? Family problems? Questions of communications?

2.The American locations, Portland, Oregon, San Diego? The locations giving credibility to the plot? The homes, the streets, the sleazy clubs, the courts? Musical score?

3.The title, the focus on the daughter? The concerns of the mother? The emotional content and response? The intellectual questioning of the issues, causes of problems?

4.The portrait of the mother: her voice-over, explanation of her own situation, the bitterness of the divorce, the husband leaving home, the effect on Diana? Her ability to communicate with Diana, yet her own frustrations, angers, ousting Diana from the house? Her being always at work? At home, listening to her daughter? Suspicious of A.J.? Banning him, Diana's response and leaving the house? The violence and the phone call, the possibilities of reconciliation? Taking A.J. to court? Her going to the nightclub, her husband supporting her? Diana being persuaded by A.J. to drop the charges? The repetition of her anger? Diana's desperation, her disappearance and death? The help of the police? Her going on the campaign, gathering evidence, interviewing April, visiting April in hospital, her speech at the court case? Her grief at losing her daughter? Going to April's mother and the long speech to persuade her to take her daughter back?

5.Diana, age and experience, school? The effect of the divorce? Being humiliated by her boyfriend? The dance, the attraction of A.J.? His using her and manipulating her? Love, sexual relationship? Taking her to the striptease club? His plausibly persuading her to dance and strip? Her motivation? Her mother coming and her angry outburst? Confrontation with her father? Going on the streets for A.J.? Arrested, the help of the police? The violence and her turning again to her parents? A.J.'s treatment, her reasons for believing him, dropping the charges, going back? The ultimate violence, being trapped by A.J., her death?

6.The father, the divorce, his absence, yet his wanting to support his wife and concern about his daughter?

7.A.J. and his smooth and handsome style, the dance, sweet-talking Diana, her believing him, the relationship, staying at the house overnight? Persuading her to leave, his long speech persuading her to strip, to go on the streets? The mentality of the pimp and his brutal treatment of Diana? The violence, bailing her out of jail, demanding that she supply the money? His persuading her to drop the charges? Her death? His lies in court? The sentence and his punishment?

8.April, friendship with Diana, the family background, the brutality, hospital, her decision to give testimony? The scene with her mother and being persuaded to take her back?

9.The portrait of American families, tensions, marriage break-up, the effect on the teenagers, peer relationships, conmen and exploiters? A frightening morality tale for the television audience?